The concept of Noel’s House Party was licenced by Unique and at least five international versions of the show were broadcast, these were: Greven På Hittegodset (Denmark), Gottschalk’s Haus Party (Germany), Binnen Zonder Bellen (Belgium), Monte Carlo (Netherlands), and Vaya Nochecita (Spain).
Gottschalk's Haus Party
Gottschalk's Haus Party: Daily Mirror, 18th August 1995
Gottschalk's Haus Party was arguably the most successful international version of Noel's House Party. Hosted by German presenter Thomas Gottschalk, the show closely resembled its British counterpart, using the same games and show segments. The set maintained a similar gothic feel to the original, with a mansion in the fictional ‘Klein-Grünwald' and a butler played by Richard Strange. It was decided that Mr Blobby would not be included as he “didn’t strike a chord” with Germans. The show ran from 1995-1997 and was filmed at Bavaria Studios, Geiselgasteig.
Gottschalk's Haus Party Title Card
Thomas Gottschalk poses on the set of his Haus Party.
Greven På Hittegodset
Greven på Hittegodset was Denmark’s version of the show. Hosted by Eddie Michel as The Count, the show only ran for six episodes in 1996 until it was axed due to disputes between Nordisk Films and TV2. The show did feature Mr Blobby (simply called “Blobby”) but without the prior knowledge that he was born from a prank, Danish audiences didn’t warm to him. The show however received an audience of 1.2 million for its first episode (a sizable audience considering Denmark’s population) and, much like Gottschalk’s Haus Party, stuck to a similar format and style as Noel’s House Party. The show’s title translates to ‘Count of the Lost Property’, and 'Grevlinge' was their equivalent to the village of Crinkley Bottom.
A huge thank you to Eddie Michel for all his insight and images from hosting the show!
Eddie Michel and the Danish Mr Blobby!
A promotional postcard featuring an illustration of Eddie Michel as The Count.
Denmark's version of the Crinkley Bottom Groat for the Grab-a-Grand machine.
Belgium, Netherlands and Spain
Three more versions made it to air: Binnen Zonder Bellen (Belgium) in 1996-7, presented by Koen Wauters. Monte Carlo (Netherlands) which ran for four years from 1998-2002, presented by Carlo Boszhard, and Vaya Nochecita (Spain) in 1995, presented by Pepe Carroll.
Daily Mirror 18th April 1994
Koen Wauters, host of Binnen Zonder Bellen (Belgium)